BOSTON, Oct. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Vince Cook, CEO of Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), announced today that the company has been awarded a 2013 Global Vision Award for Leadership by Travel + Leisure. Selected by a panel of distinguished jurors, in

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Posted Oct. 10, 2013 @ 8:01 am

BOSTON, Oct. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Vince Cook, CEO of Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), announced today that the company has been awarded a 2013 Global Vision Award for Leadership by Travel + Leisure. Selected by a panel of distinguished jurors, including Bonnie Burnham of the World Monuments Fund and Rob Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts, OAT is among 15 honorees that embody the extraordinary ways that travelers can give back to the places we visit.

"We are honored to be recognized by Travel + Leisure for our philanthropic efforts and salute its editors for encouraging the travel industry to become more involved in making a positive difference in the world," said Cook. "OAT's mission is to help change people's lives, including the lives of those who so generously welcome us into their schools, homes, and communities year after year. Under the leadership of OAT's owners, Chairman Alan and Vice Chairman Harriet Lewis, global philanthropy and volunteerism have always been an integral part of our business and a source of great pride and passion for all of us."

OAT was awarded Travel + Leisure's Global Vision Leadership Award for having pledged and donated more than $97 million toward education and preservation initiatives in more than 30 countries around the world, from a farming project in Costa Rica to building classrooms in Zimbabwe and beyond.

Travel + Leisure's 2013 Global Vision Award winners are recognized in five categories: Culture, Conservation, Community, Leadership, and Sustainability. The Awards are featured in the November issue of Travel + Leisure on newsstands October 15 and available on www.TravelandLeisure.com now.

This is the second time that OAT has been the recipient of a Global Vision Award. In 2010, OAT received a Global Vision Award for its contributions to local communities worldwide. For more information about OAT's adventures, please visit www.oattravel.com.

ABOUT OVERSEAS ADVENTURE TRAVEL Established in 1978, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) is part of Boston-based Grand Circle Corporation's family of travel companies, and it offers more than 40 unique small group adventures worldwide to Americans age 50 and older. OAT has been rated among the top 15 tour operators and safari outfitters by the readers of Travel + Leisure eight times and was named one of the top 3 world's best value tour operators in 2007. OAT is headquartered in Boston, Mass., with more than 30 offices throughout Asia, the South Pacific, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. OAT's charitable arm, Grand Circle Foundation, has donated or pledged more than $97M to more than 300 educational, humanitarian, and cultural organizations, including about 100 schools, worldwide.